My previous article dealt with the reasons and how these infest the food. Now, I will be discussing in detail the types of pests and the food it thrives.

(Disclaimer:- The images in this article might disgust you.)

Insects

1. German cockroaches infest the content when the packaging is either paperboards, carboards, or any container filled with oil. Hence, carton boxes are not to be stored in the kitchen as the cockroaches thrive on them. Especially if the cardboard carry oil content, it is a feast as the cockroach have them like a snack and party! German cockroaches are tiny 12–15 mm and light brown. They cannot fly. They prefer wet, humid conditions and can infest production areas and equipment, food storage areas, vehicles, offices and administrative areas, kitchens, and bathrooms.

2. American Cockroaches are more substantial when compared to others, about 35mm-40mm in size and dark brick red. It requires warm, humid environments to survive. They can be found in drains, sewers, basements, storage rooms, rusted machinery or utensils, and waste storage areas. They also infest open-cut fruits.

According to Rentokil, Cockroaches are primarily nocturnal, sheltering in the daytime and coming out at night to find food and other sites for shelter. The challenge with cockroaches is that they protect in places, which are hard to reach using standard cleaning and sanitation methods. They like dark areas such as cracks, crevices, drains, sewers, inside equipment and machinery and hidden spaces that provide the right temperature and humidity.

3. Flies are attracted to the sweetness and odour of the food. Different fly species are attracted to various food products, including fermenting sugars, oils and fats, carbohydrates, and decaying proteins and vegetable matter.

4. Drain Flies are attracted to rotting food, sewage, and other organic waste material. They lay eggs in organic waste that can build up in drains or polluted shallow water.

They breed in drains, septic tanks, compost, etc., and are resistant to cleaning and pest-control chemicals. Their ideal environment can be prevalent in food processing facilities where food particles washed into the drains during regular cleaning activities.

5. Fruit Flies are attracted to sugary liquids, in which they can feed and breed in tiny amounts. The fluid can accumulate in: garbage containers; over-ripe fruit, and some vegetables; old drink bottles; in drains; in spills; in cracks in wet floors.

All the mentioned flies would regularly move between the contaminated food sources and clean areas, carrying contaminated filth on their bodies as well as microorganisms internally. Also flies such as house flies regurgitate digestive juices and defecate while feeding and resting, contaminating foods and surfaces with organisms that can cause disease or decay.

Pests

1. Moths feed on stored pulses and cereals, dried fruits, oilseeds- flaxseeds, chocolate confectionery.

2. Beetles and Weevils feed on dry food, flour, cereals, pulses, pulses and processed dry food like vermicelli, pasta, spaghetti, and noodles.

3. Mites feed on milk products, cheese, dry cheese, nuts, eggs, and fruits.

Rodents

According to Rentokil, Rats and mice are attracted by food supplies and do not venture far from their shelter or nesting sites, so in a large facility will nest close to convenient food stores. Rats and mice are capable of a rapid increase in population given an abundant food supply, due to the number of litters they are capable of producing and the time to maturity, shelter from predators and benign environmental conditions inside a building. They usually tend to hog only during night time, going from food to another. The leftovers are very poisonous and needs to be discarded immediately. This can detect by the food bites, urine stains, and odour. Sometimes when they die, the smell spread throughout — also identified through their squeaky noise and gnawing sounds.

Birds

Birds can cause physical damage by dislodging roof tiles, particularly the larger birds, and blocking drainage with nests and feathers. They produce substantial amounts of droppings which foul buildings, vehicles, and building entrances.

Inside buildings, bird droppings, nesting material, and feathers can contaminate surfaces, machinery, and food products. These can transmit many human pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. More common microorganisms include Salmonella, E Coli, and Campylobacter. Bird nesting and roosting sites also encourage infestations, of bird mites, fleas, and some beetle species.